HDK-Valand at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2025
HDK-Valand participates, as usual, with two stands at Stockholm Furniture Fair on February 4-8. Here you find information on the projects exhibited in the stands "Shall we play fair?" and "Keep us posted!".
Play and playfulness
Playfulness is a prerequisite for creativity. It allows the mind to explore without the constraints of fear or failure. Through playfulness we can break free from rigid patterns and question conformity. Play encourages curiosity, promotes collaboration and by embracing play, we cultivate resilience, viewing challenges as puzzles rather than obstacles.
Many argue for the importance of play and that play is what makes us human beings, with the understanding of humans as social beings. Play is usually seen as an activity that only children engage in and have been researched throughout the 20th century from various disciplines including pedagogy, sociology, psychology and more, but of course we all play.
Play is an often-unused force for immersion, change and development. Our living environment needs playfulness to enable a sense of joy and well-being in our daily experiences and to promote risk-taking and experimentation. Furthermore, playfulness can make products more approachable and inclusive, appealing to a broader audience. Overall, designing for play and playfulness can drive both emotional and functional benefits, enhancing user experience.
In this exhibition, design students from HDK-Valand, takes on the task of designing with and towards playfulness.
Welcome to stand C06:42 in the Greenhouse!
Opening on Tuesday 4 February at 1 PM
Contact
Mathias Rask, course manager
phone: +46 (0)70 076 90 49
mattias.rask@hdk.gu.se
Mikaela Andersson
The Bridge
The Bridge is the result of an exploratory process where I have worked with tactility and contrasts in materials. It is not a classic piece of furniture in neither form nor function; its purpose is to highlight the importance of tactility and encourage physical interaction. Would you like to feel the surface, sit on it, lie across it, crawl underneath it, or do something completely different? In a world where we often interact with digital objects, I want to remind us of the importance of returning to the tactile and physical. By inviting touch and exploration, I aim to create a dialogue between the object and the user.
Contact
@andersson_mikaela (instagram)
Love Bengtsson
Modul
Modul is a modular concept which takes form as a chair. The chair is meant to encourage play - within the scope of sustainability. Modul can take shape as a chair, bench, table, shelf or even candlestick, only your imagination set . The chair is designed to be easily disassembled and rebuilt in new ways. Modul is designed to easily be reused as something else when its current form has come to an end, but also the possibility of replacing broken parts. Modul is the result of play.
Contact
@lovebongsson (instagram)
Agatha Drozdz
Play Stool
A play stool, designed with rounded cutouts that resemble two different faces- an interactive element of the design, potentially stimulating imaginative play. Keep the blankets inside (careful they might become a monster’s tongue!). Given the height and sturdy build, children can sit on it, making it a versatile piece that doubles as a seat. It can be placed as a bedside table in the bedroom or a coffee table in the living room that adds playfulness to the space. Made completely out of plywood.
Contact
agata.drozdz3@gmail.com
agata-drozdz (instagram)
My Falck
Things on the table
“Things on the Table” blends design with science fiction. Inspired by sci-fi, I have crafted plates that challenge conventions and invite new ways of experiencing food. Through collaborations with chefs, the project explores how objects on the table can enrich food presentation and the social dynamics around the dining table.
Contact
@myfalck (instagram)
Måns Hallberg
SLS
SLS is a low gentle chair with one main aspect, there are enough ergonomic chairs. It is well established how such a chair is supposed to be constructed and even then is only suited for a certain type of persons dimension. My ambition with this chair is to explore the relationship between traditional materials and non traditional ergonomic approach while also talking about the perception of material relation. How can one play with materials interactivity while avoiding provocatively oversimplified concepts.
Erik Koivusaari
Golvad
A portable lamp that allows for interaction. The lamp is tilted and can be rotated to adjust the light intensity, making it easy to dim the light up and down. The lamp is quickly charged via USB-C.
A big thank you to Belid Lighting Group for their support with materials and manufacturing.
Rebecca Magyar & Bianca Bermalm
Dingle & Mingle
Dingle & Mingle is an unconventional meeting space designed to encourage playful interactions. Its design invites users to sit in various ways and together you create the movement. Moving while talking helps with regulating emotions, and also mind and body connection. The furniture enables a relaxed, creative atmosphere, inspires playfulness, and facilitates collaboration. It’s perfect for brainstorming sessions, teamwork and peer-to-peer interactions. Sit back, enjoy the movement, and cultivate a happier, more dynamic work environment filled with laughter.
Contact
@studiorebeccamagyar (instagram)
@bermalmstudio (instagram)
Rebecka Malmberg
Ants in grownups pants
It’s 1:10 PM, and we have begun the second part of the meeting. To be taken seriously, one must sit still — but I have ants in my pants. Traditional norms don’t suit everyone, especially those with ADHD, who often hide their need for movement, which can lead to anxiety and depression over time. This chair was designed with a focus on supporting movement in the feet and legs, showing that concentration and activity can coexist. The goal is to normalize movement in professional settings — it’s okay to have ants in your pants.
Contact
@rebeckamalmberg (instagram)
Ellen Morein
Kringla
Kringla is a floor lamp that emerged from my exploration of form. Inspired by the 1960s tripod lamps, it is designed to honor the past while looking towards the future. It combines function with aesthetics and is as much a work of art as a light source. Like a raincloud, the lamp features a glass raindrop that serves as a switch. The paper lampshade has a cloud-like structure. With its soft, flowing shapes, Kringla creates a harmonious focal point in the room. The name is a tribute to both its form and my hometown, ”Kringelstaden.”
Contact
ellenmorein@outlook.com
Fongyee Ng
City(s)cape
What if there was a tool for children and young people to design their (literal/ imaginary/ emotional) city that can be used as a play mat and worn as a cape? Inspired by ideal city maps of the past, city(s)cape encourages imaginative and social play.
Contact
fongyeeis.online
@afwhye (instagram)
Fabian Seidl
Dalah_st
There is growing concern about what generative artificial intelligence means for the future. It is faster and cheaper than hiring a human, but what is lost? The Dala horse, a symbol of tradition and craftsmanship from 18th-century Dalarna, becomes a counterpoint. By letting AI interpret its form, we can discuss our relationship with knowledge and production. Some horses are hand-carved, others digitally created, but how does their origin shape how we perceive them?
Contact
fabianvseidl@gmail.com
fabianseidl.se
Wilma Stärner
Gro
Gro is a furniture project examining interactions and behaviors with / on / and around the dining. Using the table as a starting point the project aims to explore playful methods to look at common behaviours, traditions and rules around it. What do we usually do at our table? How do we treat it? Which body parts are we allowed to touch it with?
Contact
@arkwilma (instagram)
Lina Widén
Blokk
Blokk is a modular furniture concept that uses ambiguity as a design tool to facilitate playful interaction. In this context, ambiguity refers to the quality of being open to multiple interpretations, allowing for various modes of use, meanings, and values. By incorporating changeable elements in the form of adaptable building blocks, the project aims to explore how openness in design can promote and facilitate meaning-making through playful engagement.
Contact
lina.widen@gmail.com
Agnes Åkervik & Amanda Hallams
Stitch
A pendant lamp made from perforated aluminum, with cords threaded through the holes to create a playful expression. The light filters softly through the perforations, highlighting the contrast between the industrial material and the hand-tied details. The cords can be freely arranged and re-tied, allowing the user to create their own unique version of the lamp.
"Keep us posted!" exhibits projects by third-year students of the BFA programme Wood Oriented Furniture Design at HDK Valand, Campus Steneby.
“Storytelling” is the overarching theme of the stand. The pieces tell stories about different times and places, making the fair stand resemble a journey. Under the title “Keep us posted”, you are invited to discover a broad range of exciting perspectives and playful explorations.
Wood Oriented Furniture Design is a design programme, situated at Campus Steneby in rural Dals Långed. The programme is centred around an explorative design approach in the workshops and a deep understanding of the material wood. The focus of the education is to solve artistic and material-related problems with consideration to the environment and human needs, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and local relevance.
Welcome to stand C06:43 in the Greenhouse!
Opening: Tuesday February 4 at 1.30 PM
Contact
Torsten Hild, professor/course manager
phone: +46 (0)766-18 59 29
e-mail: torsten.hild@gu.se
Leonie Baldus
If the forest could walk
This birch shelf is designed to have a stable construction without any stretchers. It serves as a room divider, display- and storage furniture and can be taken apart. The birch bark inlays on the sliding door illustrate a walking forest – a tactile reminder of where the material came from. You can let it walk by moving the sliding door.
Contact
@Baldus.leonie
Jeannette Endt
B.02
B.02 is a storage bench. Made to be used as a sideboard, the idea behind it was to be able to turn this furniture into an additional sitting space for small rooms and space-efficiency.
Inspired by the Ikea effect, according to which we tend to like things more if we’ve expended effort to create them, this furniture is hoping to lessen the need to buy new ones regularly by creating an emotional attachment to it.
Contact
@ihnt.mobel
Jinho Kim
Ambivalent and Split
Ambivalent is a bedside table that draws on the understanding of Baroque aesthetics. Due to significant advancements in sustainability, functionality, and efficiency, there is a concern that we might be losing the fundamental aesthetic forms of design. Ambivalent is silhouette-focused furniture that seeks to preserve the fundamental approach and aims to leave a visual impact on viewers only by the form.
Split is a project of storytelling while exploring Brutalist aesthetics. The concept represents the wounds experienced by Korean people from the country’s division. The connection of stainless steel between two separate parts symbolizes the unity of our ethnicity such as language, history, tradition, and culture.
Contact
@re_man_design
Kajsa Lagberg
Spånt
Spånt is a large wardrobe designed for the domestic environment. It is built from panels made of TGB timber (pärlspont), held together with threaded inserts at the top and bottom. This construction makes the furniture knock-downable, allowing it to be moved and reassembled in a new location.
It is a piece of furniture that can bring something grounded and substantial into our home while still taking modern living situations into consideration.
Contact
@kajsagrejer
Alvar Leijonberg
Sweep
Sweep is a lounge chair for peaceful and serene moments.
Sweep is made with the intent to create an object that resonates with our needs for comfort and relaxation.
It is designed through a reductive method, and it is an attempt to reduce the amount of information available in a design object.
Contact
@ alvarlejonberg
Andrejs Sosenko
Murder Scene
This furniture tells the story of contemporary life through ornamentation filled with character, warmth, and just enough humanity to feel like it really gets you. It’s about spaces that hug you back—where every detail whispers a story, and every curve isn’t afraid to have a little fun.
The hope? That you’ll love it so much, you’ll pass it down for generations. At least one. Quarter of a generation? Because honestly, I’m just trying to fight overconsumption here—capitalism makes it tricky, you know?
Contact
@andr_sos
